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i have an small colony of Messor barbarusqueen, 10 workers and some eggsi have her in a small ytong nest about 16cm x 16cm my question is how do i keep the nest humid and yet have a dry area for seeds i often see condensation on the tunnels,is there nest too small ?

David.. wrote:i have an small colony of Messor barbarusqueen, 10 workers and some eggsi have her in a small ytong nest about 16cm x 16cm my question is how do i keep the nest humid and yet have a dry area for seeds i often see condensation on the tunnels,is there nest too small ?

i slo have a small heat mat i could use perhaps to keep temps warmer

thanks

Hydrate 1 side if the nest, and leave the other side dry. Then you can also use a heatmat if needed

was wondering what is the difference in buying a single queen by her self and a queen with workers?

is it basically buying a queen with workers means it will grow faster than just a queen by herself?

It's an extra bit of security, because it means she's already established and has a bit of help in raising brood. I think it also assures you that she is capable of having workers, she's not infertile or anything. So yes, although I'm not 100% of the reasons, it means a more reliable start to the colony.

Having a little problem with feeding my Lasius niger, because i dont have any idea how much to feed them. Now i have given 2 times a week 3 little mealworm (without head ). There are lots of pupae, eggs etc. and about 100 workers. I also give honeywater in piece of cotton, but rarely see any of them drink it.

Do you cut the mealworms up into small pieces? If you just cut the head off, small and medium sized colonies tend to just feed on the cuts and leave it alone when it dried out. Cut it up in small pieces. Keep offering them sugar water. Just a few workers can feed the whole colony by filling themselves up and distributing the sugar water inside the colony. Then they repeat the process.

No i didn`t cut. I noticed one worker "digging" deep inside the shell and understand the shell is not their food. Now i offer honeywater with the cotton and keep the cotton moist every day.

i Think my Pallidulas has the same situation. I have wondering why they leave mealworms in upper chambers to dry and fruitflies they're carrying in the chambers where are larva and pupae. Pheidole indica can eat whole mealworm, maybe because they have now 7 big soldiers (much bigger than Pallidulas soldier)?

What if i feed them big cockroach or something else big, which they cannot carry inside?

@SugarGliderDude it varies from colony to colony even of the same species if they aren't taking to the nest try to make it more inviting make sure the humidity is where your species likes it and maybe heat half of the nest as well this should invite them in if these steps aren't possible it will just take time. There is another way make the test tube less hospitable for the colony make sure its exposed to direct light not heated though or close enough to over heat them you just want to make them uncomfortable not harm them while the nest itself is dark ants normally move to the dark also let the test tube dry out a bit They will move to where the humidity is more fitting.

Yes, many species show this behaviour. Sometimes they even move into another nest with many workers + brood. If they think the upper chamber is more suitable, they will eventually bring the queen there soon too.

Ok Im very anxious because I am new to Ant keeping I've ordered a queen and 1-5 camponotus ligniperdus from Antkit and they shipped out yesterday should take 7-10 days according to the fulfillment quote to get here I also ordered a founding formicarium from Tarheel Ants and that ships out tomorrow should take about a week to get here Im not worried as a colony so small can easily reside within a test tube until their nest gets here. Is there anything id have to have for them when they arrive idk if Antkit give them anything to feed on during shipping protein jelly or something I have a setup in a large shoe box on my dresser with a cloth at the bottom to absorb ambient vibrations keep them dark and avoid air current changes that is where they will reside even when their nest arrives as its small enough to fit in the box is there anything I should have ready for them as this is my first time ordering ants and I dont want to mess up.

Along with the nest though I ordered a feeding dish to keep the nest clean as possible protein jelly and the case to keep it fresh for a month to supplement honey and fruit ill give them until I get feeder insects. I mentioned this in case those are any of the things you were going to say I should have.

Don't worry too much. All they need at the beginning is a Nest (test tube), some sugar water and some proteins. Mine like usual flies but crickets and mealworms they don't like really. The shoebox is a good place to keep them in for a long time

Firstly, I'm not sure about that 7-10 days, AntKit usually try to post live ants as quick as possible. However, they wouldn't need to move out of the test tube for months yet. You would probably need to give them a drop of sugar water (on wax/baking paper, I recommend), but if they don't have any brood they don't need protein as only larvae eat protein (I think!). They're not quite as stressful to keep as it might seem, but good luck!

@Dan it quotes me 7-10 days on the site because Im in Italy though i live on a navy base and the address is an "American" address even though its in a foreign country im hoping its only quoting me this time table because it assumes its going to America based on the base address. So it should arrive however long it normally takes Antkit to ship to Italy.